Forester - Domestic Land Use

Ostrom Climate is the place for smart and passionate people. We’re a small company with lots of interesting people from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we all agree it’s a great place to work.

We believe in:
**Integrity**: We are honest and transparent, holding strong positions on what is moral and ethical in the pursuit of our climate vision.

**Practicality**:We prioritize feasible and immediate action based on real circumstances over abstract considerations.

**Thoughtfulness**: We bring the best of our collective intelligence and wisdom to every project and relationship.

**Optimism**:We share hope and confidence that society will successfully act to address the climate crisis and ‘tragedy of the commons’.

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants equally without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status.

**Company Description**

Ostrom Climate Solutions (Canada) Inc. is a global leader in the design, development, and implementing Nature Based land use projects and GHG reduction projects including Improved Forest Management carbon offset projects. We have developed some of the world’s largest carbon offset projects including the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project, North America’s largest Improved Forest Management project and the world’s largest forest carbon project by area, as well as the Mai Ndombe REDD+ Avoided Deforestation project, the largest of its kind in Africa. Our domestic Land Use division focuses on improved forest and grasslands management projects in various jurisdictions across North America as well as supporting development and policy of emerging carbon offset methodologies.

Ostrom Climate works with indigenous governments and communities, private landowners, government agencies and civil society to develop nature-based carbon offset projects.

**Role Description**

The Forester will assist in the design and development of exciting forest carbon offset projects across North America, with a focus on British Columbia. Additionally, the Forester will support validation and verification management, manage methodology review and support the Domestic Land Use Team with spatial analysis, modelling and qualitative analysis.

This role requires a proven understanding of forestry management, forest inventories, field work, forest estate modelling, wood markets, Canadian forest policy, wood products, carbon dynamics and issues around the science of climate change and climate policy in BC and across Canada. Knowledge of US or international forest carbon offset projects is an asset. This is a full-time position, reporting to the Director of Domestic Land Use.

**Responsibilities include**:

- Support development of new forest carbon offset projects including project design, development of risk assessments and development of monitoring requirements under voluntary, provincial and federal carbon programs.
- Working with Indigenous People and on Indigenous-led projects
- Assess the operational and policy implications of changes in forest management practices to assess carbon benefits of potential projects
- Support verification management of existing forest carbon projects
- Assessing the feasibility of prospective forest carbon projects through desk-based and field work and preparing feasibility assessment reports.
- Supporting the team with geospatial and carbon quantification tasks
- Support field work related to inventory updates, development of monitoring plans and other aspects related to forest carbon offset project development
- Contributing to quality assurance / quality control of technical products and deliverables.

***Required Qualifications and Skills**:

- A Registered Professional Forester (RPF) or be eligible for registration as an RPF with Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC)
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in forestry or related field
- Field experience working in British Columbia forests
- Solid understanding of forest ecology, land use dynamics, and integrated resource management experience
- Operational and strategic forest landscape level planning experience
- Basic understanding of forest carbon modeling
- Written and spoken fluency in English
- Experience in QGIS or ArcGIS
- Years of relevant professional work experience
- Very strong verbal and technical writing skills
- Strong skills with MS Office Suite

**Desirable Qualifications and Skills**:

- Knowledge of issues related to climate change, land use, Atmospheric Benefit Agreements
- Experience working with Indigenous Peoples
- A master’s degree in forestry, natural resource management or related field
- Experience in forest estate modelling (e.g. Woodstock, Patchworks)
- Experience in designing forest inventories
- Experience working with LiDAR spatial products.
- Experience with carbon markets, carbon project development, and/or carbon policy
- The ability to work with min